Do Noodles Go In Chili?

No.

Oh, were you looking for more of an explanation? It’s goulash. Which, by the way, is a perfectly fine thing to have. I’d say it’s tasty and more filling. But you will get laughed at in most any actual chili competition. Hell, there’s argument enough as to whether or not beans should go in chili. Southerners seem to say no. Up here, we tend to say yes.

I’m a multi-time Chili Fest award winner, so this happens to be a subject I’m very passionate about. In my eyes, you can put noodles in chili, but it then ceases to be chili. I’ve seen people garnish chili with many different things in the past. I, myself have garnished it with pretzels and cheese curds. (Seriously, toss in a couple cheese curds every once in a while. It’s amazing.) But garnishing is one thing. Once you’re throwing noodles in, you’re adding in a dominant ingredient.

Speaking of Chili Fest, it’s unfortunately something that ended up getting the ax thanks to Covid the last couple of years. But I’m looking forward to making a comeback in 2022, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all there.

But hey, if you wanna throw some noodles on your chili, go for it. Don’t let me stop you.
Just don’t call it chili 😉